RIS High FG?

[zlandaal]

I brewed a Russian Imperial Stout, used 24# of grain, 1# oats and 1# DME.

The OG was 1.108, then 3 weeks later I racked it to a carboy for aging.
I got an FG of ~1.035, maybe 1.036 (I wanted it to be lower so I probably biased it lower ).

I mashed at 150 for over an hour, so the wort was definitely fermentable

I pitched 2 packets of Wyeast London ESB 1968, so I'm pretty sure the attenuation is what I should expect for that beer (should of thought of that before)
Anyways my fix was to toss in a few globs of yeast from my IIPA I kegged the same day (used Wyeast american ale). Hopefully that works.

I'm not terribly worried about it yet. Right now it tastes almost like a mocha, so the sweetness definitely goes with the style.

I'm going to let it sit in the carboy until ~November, and throw 1oz of oak cubes in it too.

Any recommendations on getting the gravity lower? I have some amylase enzyme I could try adding.

If I'm stuck where its at, I wont be too disappointed, I'd just prefer it to be 1.030 or less.

 

[DocScott]

I think it's probably done. You could try warming it up a bit but with the high OG, I wouldn't expect much more. I think a bigger pitch may have helped a bit. I'd pass on the amylase.

I've found most of the things to help fermenting big beers down happens prior to fermentation: include some simple sugars, mash low, lots of O2, control ferm temps and pitch lots of yeast.

Let it age and mellow. Sounds like it should be good!

 

[Invertalon]

I have a RIS that is near the end of fermentation as well. OG was 1.116 and currently at 1.035 (yesterday was at 1.037-1.038, so it's still chugging I guess). Airlock activity has subsided though, although I know that means fairly little.

Pitched two rehydrated US-05 packs and did a double shot of O2 for 2mins (pre-pitch and 8hrs after). Mash temp was about 152F for 90min.

Flavor is awesome though. I am happy with it as is. Hoping it can push to 1.03 though as well. Curious if the yeast will continue to push... Going to check gravity again in a few days. What is the alcohol tolerance of the yeast you used? Perhaps that is a reason, too.

 

[khillian]

I find my batches are more drinkable at FGs of 1.019 to 1.025. To achieve this I have been experimenting with sugars. Last batch I made was 1.098 OG with 1.019 FG used 2 pounds of Jaggery Sugar at the end of the boil. There are many interesting sugars to experiment with http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-muscovado-145157

 

[Invertalon]

You know, I was surprised... When I took my gravity reading and it said 1.037 - I expected it to be cloying. However, it tasted really well balanced. I have about 75 IBU's in this recipe, so I really think the bittering balanced the extra sweetness quite well. Plus, the mouthfeel is wonderful.

Sugars are a great way to add ABV and dryness, I usually use with my big IPA's and DIPA's. But for a stout, I think the big flaw with many big stouts is a thin mouthfeel... Was that beer a stout you had from 1.098 to 1.019 or another style? How was the body of the beer?

 

[khillian]

The body was okay, I used 2 pounds of oats. Used 002 as well which is slightly less attenuative. Lower carbonation and warmer serving temps are how I drink my RIS. I agree without oats, higher carbonation and cold they def can feel thin.

The BJCP lists OG: 1.075 – 1.115 FG: 1.018 – 1.030 ABV: 8.0 – 12.0%

I have brewed many 1.035 RIS and Imperial Porters, they can def be drinkable with oak to help with dry feeling and higher carbonation. I tend to prefer 1.020 to 1.025, the 1.019 batch was def better in my opinion then my 1.035 batches. The trick is to leave just dextrins and not unfermented normal sugars.

I got the idea from listening to an old Brewing Network podcast http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/post2003/ with the brewer from Fifty Fifty brewing talking about stouts with sugars. Go to 2 hours and 27 minutes into the episode. He brought up Jaggery and some of the others listed in that link. Todd says it finishes around 7 Plato so 1.028. Eclipse is one of my favorite imperial stouts, hurts the wallet though...

 

[zlandaal]

Awesome, looks like nothing to worry about then. I might have to use 2oz of oak with how heavy the beer is, I'll check on it in a month and see how this 1oz of oak is doing! Next time I might pitch a blend of a more attenuating yeast with the London ESB--maybe that will help (along with a starter)

 

[zlandaal]

Update: I did a taste, and its tasting good! There's not enough oak in it yet, but I plan on waiting another two months, but so far the 1oz of oak cubes is really blending nicely with it. It tastes less like a mocha now, and more like what I intended.

Also, the FG is still 1.036. Oh well, it tastes good If anything, I might add more oak after the next time I taste it.

 

[Invertalon]

Great to hear! Mine finished at 1.031. It's now aging in the keg for a few months. Finished at like 11.5% but is actually around 12.2% ABV after my additions of bourbon. As I put in the keg, intense vanilla and a little heat on the back end, some oak/bourbon notes in there. I put like 3oz charred oak cubes in bourbon for a week and a half (along with vanilla beans) and then it was in contact with the beer for another week or so before kegging. I think once it mellows for a few months and the vanilla eases a bit, it should be really nice! Excited to try it out!

Did you plan to bottle or keg?

 

[SlanginDueces]

If it tastes the way you want then great! Making a starter and proper oxygenation would definitely help the yeast out if you wanted better performance next time. I love brewing RIS though because no matter what I screw up, it always comes out tasting delicious.

 

[zlandaal]

Yeah, I need to invest in something to properly oxygenate my wort--I do a lot of high gravity brews. Maybe I can find an attachment with an inline filter for my air compressor...

I went with two packets of yeast vice a starter. I probably still needed a starter though!

I'm going to keg in two months, then let it age at 50 degrees for another 3. Its sitting around 65 right now.

 

[SlanginDueces]

Up until recently I had been using a paint stirring attachment for my drill to aerate right before I pitched. It worked really well and was super cheap. I made the jump to O2 last month but have not done a beer big enough to see a huge difference.